Greek word · G4556

σάρδιον

sardion

gem

A translucent red to orange-red stone, today called carnelian (one form is called sard). Pliny (Natural History 37.105) says the stone was named after Sardis, where it was first found. It was among the most common stones for signet rings and engraved gems in the Roman world.

Appears 2 times in 2 verses of the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

σάρδιον, -ον, τ

[in LXX for אֹדֶם, Exodus 28:17, al.; also for שֹׁהַם ;]

the sardian stone, sard (of which carnelian is one variety): Revelation 4:3 21:20.†

(AS)

From G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament (1922), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Revelation 4:3

Range of meaning

A translucent red to orange-red stone, today called carnelian (one form is called sard). Pliny (Natural History 37.105) says the stone was named after Sardis, where it was first found. It was among the most common stones for signet rings and engraved gems in the Roman world.

Against the English

KJV 'sardine stone' (a now-obsolete English word that today suggests the fish). BSB, ESV and NLT give 'carnelian', which is accurate. NIV gives 'ruby', a different and harder gem (red corundum), which loses the exact identification but keeps the red color.

How it drifted

'Sardine' as a gem name died out in English. 'Ruby' is a translator's choice to give a more familiar red gem, not a shift in the Greek.

Used elsewhere in the period

Sardion is the first stone on the high priest's breastpiece in the Greek Old Testament (Exod 28:17; 36:17 LXX, translating Hebrew odem, 'red stone'). It is first in the list of Eden stones at Ezek 28:13 LXX and is the sixth foundation of the New Jerusalem (Rev 21:20).

From the study of Revelation 21:20

Range of meaning

A red, translucent kind of chalcedony (a fine-grained quartz): sard or carnelian, ranging from blood-red to orange-red. Ancient writers usually tied the name to the city of Sardis in Lydia.

Against the English

KJV, WEB, YLT and NASB transliterate it as 'sardius,' a word most readers cannot picture. BSB and ESV give 'carnelian,' which is the best modern match. 'Ruby' (used in some recent versions) is a different mineral (corundum) and overstates both the identification and the hardness.

How it drifted

The drift is mostly opacity, not wrong meaning. 'Sardius' is a dead word in English, and 'ruby' replaces it with a gem the Greek did not name.

Used elsewhere in the period

Greek Old Testament Exod 28:17 and 39:10: first stone of the high priest's breastplate (for Hebrew 'odem, 'the red one'). Ezek 28:13 LXX: first jewel of the king of Tyre in Eden. Pliny, Natural History 37.105 links the name to Sardis. Rev 4:3: God's appearance is 'like jasper and sardion.'

Where it appears

Revelation · 2

  1. Revelation 4:3 σαρδίῳ sardius

    The One seated there looked like jasper and carnelian, and a rainbow that gleamed like an emerald encircled the throne.

    Here: A blood-red to orange-red translucent stone (carnelian), named after the city of Sardis. It adds a deep, fiery red to the brilliance of the jasper.

  2. Revelation 21:20 σάρδιον, sardius,

    the fifth sardonyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst.

    Here: A translucent blood-red to orange-red stone (what we call carnelian or sard). It is the first stone of the high priest's breastplate in the Greek Old Testament (Exod 28:17), and in Rev 4:3 the One on the throne looks 'like jasper and sardion.' The stone that described God's appearance now forms part of the city's base.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.